I have this quirky if eccentric habit of collecting little tidbits of earth, little pieces of memorabilia from the places I visit. Places in which memories have been made. An acorn, a leaf, a pebble, shells, little jars of sand and seawater. Items that are never bought from the store but scooped up on the spur of the moment, marked, dated or left untouched, stored in a boxes or scattered about our shelves. Physical vessels holding memories of times, emotions, places close to my heart.
There is a place in the world that I really would love to see, but where I am going to have to use all my will power to refrain from picking up a memory.
The reason:
"Everyone seems to say that they have had bad luck," park manager Brooke Watson told the Australian Associated Press news agency. "They (rock pieces) come from all over and they just keep coming every day." –Reuters
Though I am not an overly superstitious person; my reasonings have more to do with respect for the aboriginal culture who consider the mountain to be sacred, it doesn’t hurt to be a little cautious.
I do have on question regarding this article though. How does one manage to sneak a 16lb (pound) rock out of a country? Did they stuff it into their overnight luggage? Maybe they hid in their suitcase? Or did they just walk onto the plane, rock tucked under their arm.
Posted by munin at Marzo 10, 2003 10:54 AMI'm the exact same way. Right now on my desk are a few little shells from goodness knows where at this point, and at home I have rocks and all sorts of silly things. If I don't mark them, they become just another piece of junk, you know?
Posted by: Meredith on Marzo 10, 2003 11:36 AMyou know, that is a great idea. i think we all remember doing stuff like that when we're kids. and i even see my kids do it. seashells, rocks, leaves, etc. i don't know why i ever stopped doing that. what a great way to reconnect.
Posted by: bobby g. on Marzo 10, 2003 12:13 PM*looks around cautiously* Don't tell anyone, but I've taken pieces of glass and ceramic that didn't matter from the sites I've worked at.
Its the pack rat in me coming out. Although, I should have learned from the Brady Bunch episode where Greg had the curse on him! hehe:)
Maybe its time to go find a protective amulet.
Posted by: Joc on Marzo 10, 2003 01:32 PMI'm a rock grabber as well! I always take one little rock [nothing like the aforementioned mammoth of a rock. heh.] and remember where it came from by shape, size, etc... Mental note: I need to get those from my memory boxes sometime.
Posted by: Susan on Marzo 11, 2003 04:06 AMMeredeth, I know what you mean. My desk at home is the same way, every few months or so, I have to sort things out and see if I can remember what is what.
Bobby, it is. I don' know, for me it is just a way of keeping memories, along with the pictures. They are little bits of the places, that i can hold, evoking memory by touch.
Joc, that is just so cool. Maybe one day you should make a mosaic out of them! We will definitely have to look into that amulet for you though ;o)
Sue, I try doing that, but after a few years, unless the rock has a strong emotional tie to it, i will forget exactly why I picked it up.
A memory box, hmm? *jots down a quick note*
Think I should get meself one of those.
Oddly enough I haven't gone to Urulu yet. I was also told that it is a sacrilege to climb it. But i do have some dirt in empty film canisters collected all over the parts of Australia that I have visited. Maybe this explains the bad luck I have with women ;P
Posted by: Awe-C-Boy on Marzo 12, 2003 06:21 AM